Mail-assorting machine



G1. F. WHTTUM MAIL ASQBTING MACHINE Au@ 2i, w23.,

#Shaw l l2 Shoot o un Dll oll olfl @LW/human ta/Gamm v Aug. gyms. M6577@ G. F. WTTUM MAIL AssoRTING MACHINE Filed July 22, 1911 l2 Sheets-Sham 2 I @wwe/nto@ 650365. Ff MyW/M @Howe/go Aug. 2l, 1923. RA6573 G. F. WITTUM MAIL ASSORTING MACHINE Filed July 22 1911 Aug. 21, i923.

l G. F. WITTUM MAIL ASSORTING MACHINE Filed July 22, 1911 12 seets-sheet 8 Au@ ZT., i923..

F'. wiTT'U-M MAIL ASSORTING MACHINE 1911 l2 Sheets-Sheet S Filed July 22 G. F. WBTTUM MAIL ASSORTING MACHINE Filed July 22, 1911 l2 Sheets-Sheet 10 Aug. 2l, R923.

G. F. WITTUM M'AIL ASSORTING MACHINE Filed July 22 l2 Sheets-Sides?l 11 Illllf @nue/nto@ Illl Aug. 211923.

G. F. WITTUM MAIL ASSORTING MACHINE l2 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed July 22 Patented Aug.l 2l, 1923.

UNITED STTES PATENT. OFFICE. y

4GEORGE F. WITI'UM, OF VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA, AS'SIGNOR, BY vMESNIL?. ASSIGNMENTS,

OF ONE-HALF TO MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE, AND ONE-HALF TO THE AUTO MAIL DISTRIBUTOR, INC., OF SYRA- CUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MAIL-ASSORTING MACHINE.

l Application led July A22, 1811. Serial No; 640,040.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. WrrrUM, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Vallejo, in the county of Solano and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Assorting Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the ac companying drawings forming a part of this specification, and to the reference numerals marked thereon.

The present invention relates to mail assorting machines, and it has for its object to provide a novel construction and arrangement of parts which may be controlled by a single operator, or attendant, whereby letters, being received in bulk, are automatically sorted, cancelled and distributed to dierent pockets or receptacles according to 'their destination, each letter being marked with an identifying stamp indicating the particular pocket or receptacle in which it is discharged. To these and' other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more-full described, the novel features being pointe out in the claims at the end of the specication.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the machine, the distributing table, and the conveyor leading thereto, beinv partly broken away; f

Iigure 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line a--a of Figure 1, with partsy broken away;

Figure 3 is a view in elevation, 'partly in section, showing the driving mechamsm;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the machine, the distributing table and the conveyor leading thereto being partly broken away;

Figure 5 is a view in end elevation of thedelivering means for supplyin letters from the letter chute to ythe 'distri uting table; Figure 6 is a top plan view of a portion of the delivering means shown in'Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional viewl on the line b--b of Figure 6, showing a portion of the letter track and the arrangement 'of parts for feeding the letters from' the letter track to the conveyor; l

FigueB is a view in section, partly in elevation, of the letter track, showing the i and `the correspondin Figure 10 is a transverse sectional view taken through Figure 8;

'Figure 11 isa front elevation of the keyboard mechanism and a portionof ythe letter disljtributing table;

re 12 is a side elevation of a portion of the letter distributing table, and the keyboard mechanism;

Figure 13 is a view in elevation, partly in section, 4showing one of the tiltable letter supports *and parts cooperati therewith carried by the distributing tab e, together with ,the identifying stamp for indicating on the letter the particular pocket or receptacle into which it is discharged;

Figure 14 is a transverse sectional view taken through the lowerpart of Figure' 13, .y

showing one'of the letter discharging levers,

trip arm and cooperating parts" mounte on the distributing device Figure 15fis a detail sectional vie`w show` ing a portion `of one'of the letter supports',

and parts cooperating therewith for return' ing the tri arm toits normal position after the letter 1s discharged;

Figure 16 is a detail view in transverse section through Figure 15, showing part of the trip arm locking means;

' Figure 17 is a vertical sectional. view showing a portion of one of the tiltable letter supports and cooperating parts mounted on the distributing table, the'corresponding letter discharging lever cooperating with the trip arm, and the stamping mechanism actu- A ated by the discharging member;

i Figure 18 is atop plan view, showing one of the tiltable letter supports in discharging position, andthe means for releasing the san1'e;-

Figure 19 is a view in side elevation, partly in section, showing one of the tiltable letter supports in dischargin position,

and the-stamping mechanism for lndicating on the letter -the pocket or receptacle into which it is discharged;

Figure 20 is a detail sectional view -onthe v line c-c of Figure 1, showing the cancelling stamp and means for operating the saine;

Figure 21 is a detailsectional view showing one of the treadles andV connections for operating certain of the plungers of the keyboard mechanism;

Figure 22 is a detail sectional view on the line 1l-ol of Figure 5;

Figure 23 is a detail view in' elevation showing the clutch mechanism which enable the letter engaging devices to be operated directly from the driving shaft, when 1t is desired to move the letter engaging devices more quickly than under normal conditions;

Figure 24 is a detailsect-ional vien of theI clutch employed for throwingthe letter en-Y gaging devices out of operation when the suppily of letters is exhausted'in the letter trac Figiire 25 is a detail view of the gearing employed for the parts shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10, and

Figure 26 is a detail view ot the revolving lever carrying frame, and levers movably mounted thereon, of the keyboard mechanism.

Similar reference numerals throughout vthe several igures indicate the same parts.

ln the particular embodiment ot my invention disclosed hereby, ll provide a distributing conveyor embodying an endless series ot individual mail-unit movers. carriers or supports continuously moving in an endless path past loading or receiving, inspection, and a series of dischargeV stations; mail unit discharging means being provided for said discharge stations, respectively, 4the' discharging means for each station being distinctive with respect to the remaining discharging means,said conveyor being provided With a series of adjustable selective mechanisms, one for each mail unit carrier, determining the discharge stations at which such units will be delivered through cooperation ot selective mechanisms with the discharging means of such discharge stations; setting up mechanism common to all of said selective mechanisms being provided 'to set the same to predetermine the delivery points of the mail units; delivering or feeding mechanism being provided for automatically and successively feeding the mail units to said carriers while they are under movement past such feeding mechanism thereby establishing said carrier loading or receiving station; means being provided at the operators station for manual control or adjustment of said setting up mechanism to individually set up the selective mechanisms as they move past in succession; the operators station being arranged to enable the operator to read the address of each unit on its carrier while or sitter moving from the loadingistation thereby establishing said inspection station so that 'bhe operator can actuate the setting np mechanism according to said address neonata before the particular selective mechani predetermining the discharge station at which said letter will be delivered, has moved into position to be operated on by said setting up mechanism, however, l do not wish to so limit all features of my invention.

The distributing convey/c1 and its driving tions. The table is rotated by means ot a motor 5, the driving shaft oit which carries a pinion 6 meshing with the gear wheel 7 fast on the shalt 8, the latter being connected to a vsleeve 9 through a universal joint l0a Slidably engaging the sleeve'9 and arranged to rotate therewith is a stub shaft l1 which carries the friction cone l2, the latter being positioned for engagement with a friction surface at the edge of the base 13 of the distributing table. By means ot the sleeve 9, the stub shaft 1l may be moved longitudinally to edect varying speeds of movement for the distributing table., such adjustment being obtained by means of a pivoted arm ld in engagement with a collar l5 on the shaft l1 and connected to a rod 16 which may be operated in any suitable'manner, as by means ot the lever 17. The friction cone l2 is held in yieldable engagement with the distributing table through the instrumentality of a vertically movable bearing 18 arranged in the housing 19 and normally held in a lowered position by means of the vspring 20., Arranged on the base 13 of the distributing table is a gear tace 2l. with which engages the pinion 22 mounted on the shaft 23, the latter carrying at its opposite end the bevel gear 2d normally engaged by the bevel gear 25 which is carried by the sleeve 26, the latter being loosely mounted on the shaft 2 7. The several parts oit the machine to be hereinaf-,er described derive their movement from the shaft 27 to which is feathered a bevel gear 28 carried by the sleeve 29 which has a clutch connection with the sleeve 26 and is longitudinally movable on the shaft table, and movingv the sleeve 29 longitudi# nally of shaft 27 until the gear 28 engages the bevel gear 33 mounted on the shaft 8,

` thus driving the shaft 27 directly from the motor, and thereby securing an increased speed. Lifting of the friction cone 12 may be effected in any desirable manner, as by means of the lever 34 to which is pivoted the connecting rod 35, to which is pivotally concone 12.

Zetteil cancelling mechcmiem.l`

The cancelling stamp is designated at 43 and is operated from the bevel gear 24 by means of the bevel gear 44 fixed on the shaft 45, which carries at its upper end a bevel pinion 46, the latter being arranged for engagement with the bevel gear 4-7 mounted on the shaft `48, which carries the cancelling` stamp 43 at its opposite end, so as to engage the letters as they move therebeneat'h when supported upon the distributing table.

Mail unit separating amil feeding mech- (miams for automatically delivering units to the distributing conveyer.

'The mail is supplied to the distributing table by suitable delivering means, which,

as illustrated in thel present embodiment of the invention, includes a pair of endless conveyors 49 adapted to` hold the letters therebetween and carry` them to the distributing table and constitutes a feeder or feed mechanism for separating the mail or other units and successively delivering the units to' the moving conveyer approximately in the direction of movement of said conveyer and so that each unit assumes an approximately horizontal positionson said conveyer with its addressed face 'uppermost and eX- posed for reading, The conveyors 49 are actuated from the shaft 50 which is connected to the shaft 27 by means of'sprockets on the respective shafts, and chain 51; The shaft 50 carries the bevel gear 52, which is loosely mounted thereon and arranged to normall rotate with the shaft 50 for a purpose to e hereinafter made clear, said bevel gear 52 being normally in engagement' with the 'bevel gear 53 carried by shaft 54, at

the upper end of which is mounted the bevel' pinion$55 which engages the gear 56 mounted on the end of one of the rollers about which the lower conveyor'49 is arranged to travel.

Said roller is provided with a gear 57 which engages a similar gear 58 on oneA of the rollers about which the upper conveyor travels', the last mentioned roller carrying the bevel pinion 59 at its opposite end to engage the bevel gear 60 which is carried by the shaft 61, the latter being. arranged to rotate the several rollers about which the conveyors travel as will be apparent from Figures 1, 4 and 6,

The letters are received onto the conveyor from the letter track 62, from which they are ejected one by one by a mechanism which will presently be explained. The letter track may be constructed and arranged in a number of ways, and 1n a preferred embodiment as herein shownv and described, it extends upwardly to the conveyor from a lower level at which the letters enter the track, the letters being moved upwardly along the track by suitable letter engaging devices, which, in the present instance, are illustrated as pins 63 carriedby the endless belt 64 which travels about the rolls 65 and 66, which may be rotated in any suitable manner. To this end, inthe present embodiment, the roll 66 is mounted on a shaft which carries the pulley 67 connected by a table 68 to the pulley 69 which is tixedon a sleeve 7 0, the arrangement being such that the sleeve 70 normally rotates with the shaft 71, the latter carrying the worm gear 72 which engages worm 73 mounted at the upper end of the shaft 74 which carries at its lower end the worm gear 75. Arranged for en agement with the worm gear 75 is a worm 6 which is mounted Von the shaft 77, the latter carrying at its 'o posite end the pul1ey-78 which is connected y the cable 79 with the pulley 80 fixed on a shaft 99 carrying the gear 81 which is arranged for `engagement with the previously mentioned gear-57. In this manner, motion is transmitted to roll 66, under normal conditions, from shaft 50,

through shafts'54, 77, 74 and 71 to the cableV 68, the intermediate gearing being so proportioned as to effect the proper reduction of speed for moving the letter engaging devices when the machine is operated. X At the beginning of the operation of the machine, and before any letters are being ejected to the conveyor, it is desirable to lill the letter track quickly, and to this end I may obtain a direct connection between the power shaft 50 and roll 66, this result being obtained in the present embodiment by means of the friction disc 82 which is fixed on the shaft with roll 66 and carries a clutch face 83 at one side. The pulley 67 carries a cooperatv ing clutch :face 84 by which it normally yengages the clutch -ace 83 to eectrotation lof the shaft, and roll 66. When it is desired to operate roll 66 by a direct' drive fromy the v power shaft, the pulley 67-may be shifted out of engagement with' the'clutchace 83 by means of the lever 85, the operation of which effects simultaneous movement of the yokes 86 and 87, the;` lat-ter being connected to a sleeve arranged en shaft 59 and carrying friction disc 88 hiring a clutch face 89 at one side thereof arranged fer engage* ment with a cooperating clutch face 90 on the bevel gca- 52. lWhen the parts are in the position shown in Figure 23 the bevel gear 52 is rotated with :haft 50 and the letter engaging devices are moved along the letter track at slow speed as already pointed out, and whe.l the leve".` 85 is operated to shift the yoltcs 86 and 87, the bevel gear 52 runs idle n shaft and friction disc 88 is moved into engagement with the cooperating friction disc 82, by which the roll 66 is rotated at an increasing speed.

The letters ari received in the letter track standing on edge, in a manner that will be described hereinafter, being held in such position and moved along the track by the pins 63 on the endless belt 64, the track being provided with suitable slots, or cutaway portions, through which the pins 63 project,

and in order to insure the. proper positioning of the letters within the track, the latter is horizontally inclined at its lower portion, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, so that the letters will be caused to engage the lowermost side wall of the track. The `ietter track is formed so that lits bottom gra dually approaches a level position, whereby when the letters reach the upper end of the letter track their upper and lower edges are in horizontal planes. At the upper end of the letter track, the letters are engaged and ejected singly by a. suitable mechanism which, in the present embodiment, includes a series of rollers 91 mounted on an oscillating frame 92 pivoted at 93 and connected to a link 94 which is pivoted to the lever 95, the latter being pivotally mounted at 96 and arranged to be oscillated by the connecting rod 97 which is eccentric-ally pivoted to the pulley 98 fixed on the shaft 99, the latter being driven from sha-ft 77 by means of the driving connections 100. The rollers 91 are continuously rotated through the instrumentality of driving connectionsv 101 leading from shaft 77 and engaging the pulleys 102 on the shaft 103 which carries the rollers 91. Extending over the upper end of the letter track is a spring plate 104 provided with openings 105 through which the rollers 91 project to engage the uppermost letter and eject the same onto the conveyor.. this operation being repeated at each oscillation of the roller-carrying frame. 92. ln order that the letters may be ejected one by one from the letter track, and to the end that all but the uppermost lletter will be retained within the-ietter track, there isprovided a device which, in the present embodiment, includes a yieldrack bar 106 so as to cause a back and forth movement of the same at each rotation of the shaft 99.

Owing to the variations in the thickness of different letters and the resulting variation in the pressure exerted on the letters in the track, it is desirable to provide means for enabling a slight automatic yielding of the letter engaging devices when required, and to this end, in the present embodiment, there is provided a yielding connection between the shaft 71 and sleeve 70 which carries the pulley 69, said yielding connection comprising a disc 108 fixed on the shaft 71 and having connected thereto the coil spring 109 which surrounds the shaft and is in turn connected to the disc 110 which is loosely mounted on the shaft 71. Feathered to the sleeve 70, and longitudinally mounted thereon, is a clutch 111 which is held normally in the position shown in Figure 24 bymeans of the spring 112 which en gages the collar 113 formed on the sleeve 70. The clutch 111 is provided with an interorly formed clutch face 114, and arranged to cooperate therewith is the key 11? pivctally mounted on the disc 110. The key 115 is provided with an upwardly and outwardly extending arm 116 which is arranged for engagement with teeth formed on the disc 117 fixed 'on the shaft.v

er part of the letter track. it is desirable to have means, automatically operated, for moving the few letters remaining in the track to the top thereof for ejecting onto the conveyor, and to this end, in the present embdment, there is provided a follower 119 arranged for movement upwardly along the letter track, the follower being n provided with guides 120 which engage the slots 121 formed in the sides of the letter track. The follower isprovided with slots, or cutaway portions 122, to ermit passage of the letter engaging pins t rough the follower as the latter is moved along the letter track, the follower normally assuming the position shownin Figure 4, resting on top of the letters as they move along the track. The follower is forced downwardly onto the track when the supply of letters is exhausted in 'the lower part thereof, by means of the spring controlled 'arms 123 which engage the guides 120 and are held thereagainst by means of the spring 124. Connected to the guides 120 are flexible connections 125 which lead around the pulleys 126 and are connected at their upper ends to theA sheaves 127 fixed on the shaft 128 which carries at its outer end the spiral pulley 129. A cable 130 is secured to the smaller end of thev spiral pulley 129 and carres'atits outer end the weight 131 which tends to unwind the cable 130 and thus rotate the shaft 128, causing a simultaneous winding of the connection 125 which leads to the follower. In this manner, when theY letters are exhausted in the lower part of the letter track, the follower drops under the action of spring arms 123, and the weight 131 comes into play so as to draw the follower upwardly along the letter track until the last letter is ejected therefrom. As the follower moves along, the

number of letters in the track is constantly.

becoming less, and the amount of pressure required to be exerted against the letters becomescorrespondingly less,'.and it is to this end that the spiral pulley 129 is provided, so that as the cable 130 unwinds the leverage point approaches the center of the wheel and thus decreases the e'ect of the weight in proportion to the upward movement of the follower, so as to exert a constantly decreasing pressure on the letters. The shaft 128 is normally locked by means of the pawl 132 which en ages the ratchet wheel 133 xed on the sha The pawl 132 is connected to s ring arm 123 by means of the cable 134 so that whenthe follower drops into the letter track, the. cable 134 is pulled by the lowering of spring arm 123 thereby effecting unlocking of the shaft 128 and con.- sequent movement of the follower along the letter track.

Simultaneously with the movement of the ollower into the letter track, it is desirable 'thatthe movement of the latter engaging devaes be automatically stopped, and to taie and, there is provided an automatic unciatching means which comprises a bell crank 135 connected to the pawl 132 by means of a link 136, the other arm of the bell crank having pivotal connection with the clutch 111 so as to move the latter longitudinally of the shaft 71 and out of engage# ment with the key 115. Thus, when the awl 132 is operated h the lowering of the ollower, the sleeve 0 is released from movement with the disc 110 by the disengagement of the key' 115 and clutch face 114. At the same time the spring 118 serves to throw the arm 116 into engagement with the locking disc 117 in order to hold the spring 109 under the desired tension until it is desired to move the letter engaging devices again, which may be effected by the reverse action of that just described.

The letters are fed to the letter track` from a hopper 137 into which they are thrown in bulk. Leading from the hopper 137 to the letter track is the letter chute 138 which connects with an opening in the upper side of the letter track, as shown in Figures land 4.' The letter chute is constructed so that a letter may be placed in the ho per in a flat position and be delivered to th) letter track on edge, and to this end, the bottom 139 at the top of the letter chute forms the side 140 at the lower end, the side wall 141 merging-into the bottom 139 to form the side 140 of the chute at the lower end, the other side wall being designated at 142. In this manner, a letter is received bv the letter track at the lower end thereof 1n a standing position on its long edge, ready to be moved along by the letter engaging devicesv previously described. Suitable means are provided for pro rly moving the letters from -the lower en of the letter chute onto the letter track and for supporting them thereon, and to this end, in the present embodiment, there are provided a plurality of rotary rolls 143 arranged at the rear end of the letter track and intermediate the paths of movement of the letter engaging pins, as shown clearly in Figure 8. Provision is made for rotating the rolls 143 in a direction so as to` move the letters toward the lower edge of the letter track, and arranged at the lower end of the letter chute 138 are a pair of cooperating rolls 144 and 145 which normally rotate in a direction to effect movement of the letters .onto the letter track to engage the rolls 143. For effecting movement ofthe parts just mentiwied, the end of the roll 65 is provided with the bevel gear 146 which meshes with a .bevel pinion 147 fixed on the shaft 148, the latter carrying the gear wheel 149 which engages an idler pinion 150, the latter meshing with inion 151 secured on the shaft 152, on which is also mounted the letter feeding roll 144. Secured to the shaft 152 is a pulley 153 from which a suitable driving connection leads to pulley 154 mounted on the shaft 155 which carries the feeding roll 156 at its upper end. Also secured to the shaft 152 is a pulley 157 from which a suitable driving connection leads to the pulley 158 mounted on the shaft 159 which carries the roll 160 from which motion is transmitted through suitable driving connections to the rolls 143, as shown in Figures 8 and 10. Normally, the feeding rolls 144i and 1425 act to feed the letter from the letter chute to the letter track, but when the letter engaging pins, during their movement along the letter track, come opposite the opening from the letter chute, it 1s desirable to stop the feed of the letters long enough to permit the letter engaging pins to assthis point, and to withdraw from the etter track a letter that may have been partially fed from the letter chute, and `for accomplishing such purpose, in the present yembodiment, means are provided for reversing the movement of the roll 145. rlo this end, there is pivotally mounted on the shaft 159 a frame 161 in which are journalled the rolls 162 and 163, the turning4 of sa'ld rollsbeing eected by driving connections with the roll 160, as clearly shown in Figures 9 and 10, the arrangement being so that said rolls 162 and 163 move in opposite directions. Noi-- mally, the roll 162 engages the roll 145 so esto move thelatter to the right, as shown in Figure 1 0, and when it lis desirable to withdraw a letter which' has been partially fed to the letter track, roll 162 is moved out of engagement and roll 163 moved into engagement with roll 145 so as to reverse the direction volf rotation of the latter, and to this end, the trame 161 carries the projection 164i arranged in the path ot movement ot the letter engaging pins so that the trarne 161 will be oscillated, and the movement of the roll 14:5 reversed, while the letter engaging pins 'are passing 'the letter opening. The

- oscillatory trame 161 is returned to its normal position by means ci a suitable spring 165.

ln the operation of the letter distributing means, .mail being *furnished in bulk to the hopper, the letters move downwardly and reach the lower end of the hopper positioned on their long edge, and are there engaged,

rstby the roll 166 and then by the pair of rolls 14A: and 145, being thence carried onto the letter track and held between the rolls 14:3 and the letter-engaging pins in tldvance thereof. The letters are ted along the letter track. as many as can be conveniently aecoodated between the successive sets of engaging pins on the endls driving belt, which serve to force theletters upwardly along the letter track until they reach the top of the latter where they are engaged by the devices previously described which serve to eject, successively, the uppermost letter from the letter track onto the conveyor, on

which it is carried` downwardly to the distributing devie,` which serves to support Vand diechargethe letters in a manner that will new be described.

p discharge mechanisme and the @elective income ously been described in a general manner, is provided with a series of movable letter supports, which are preferably rotatably vletter supports and the parts cooperating therewith, these being duplicated around the distributing table. rlhe letter is received by the distributing table, and rests on a tiltable or rotary support or carrier 166- which is provided at one end with the cam member 167 carr ing the pins 168 for a purpose that will he made clear hereinafter, and arranged between a pair of leal springs 169, as shown clearly in Figure 13, the latter serving normally to hold the cam member in the position shown in full lines in Figures 13, theletter support or carrier being tilted. lil/'hen the letter carrier is positioned level with the top of the distributing table, as shown in Figures 15 and 17, the cam member 167 is in the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 13. 'lhe letter carrier is held in level position, by means of suitable locking means, which, in the present embodiment comprises the slidable latch 170 arranged 'or lateral movement in suitable guides, and adapted to be o erated b the lever 171 pivotally mounted in. suitable standards 172 and carr ing the upstanding arm 173 by which it is actuated in a manner that will presenti be full set iarth. Carried by the distributing ta le is uthe trip arm 17d which is arranged to permit tilting ol the letter carrier at 'the proper receptacle, and to this end, the trip arm 17d may be adjusted to any one ot a number of dilderent positions, corresponding to the number of letter oclrets or receptacles, 'lo edect the desiref end, inl the present embodiment, the trip arm is carried on the bar 175 which is pivotally mounted for hori zontal movement on a support 176, the latter being horizontally pivoted at 177, wherelll@ by to secure both vertical and horizontal adv u'stment oi. the bar 175. Carried by the atter is a downwardly extending ear 176 to which is pivoted a link 179, the latter being pivotally connected to bell crank 180 which carries the downwardly projecting arm 181, the latter constituting one ofthe setting levers tor the trip arm 174i. The trip arm just described, together with the setting lever and the remaining positioning devices, are housed within the casing ,16% secured to the-distributing table, and ll wi 4 now describe the remaining parte ot the-positioning devices by which horizontal adjustment of the trip arm is obtained, vertical adpistment being secuned by the actuation ot the-setting lever 1.81` already ineditionsd` Rotatably mounted et the top and bottom lill lll@

of the casin 182 are a pair of discs 183 and 184 whic are connected b a vertically said discs, as shown'in Figures 18 and 14. Also eccentrically connected to the lower disc 184 is a link 186 which connects with the bell crank 187 carrying the remaining setting. lever 188, by the actuation of which horizontal adjustment of the trip arm is obtained. It will be noted thaty the rod 185 lies adjacent to the bar 175 so that as the discs are turnedsaid bar will be moved laterally a distance corresponding to the extent of movement o the setting lever 188. The rod 185 is held in the position to which it is moved by means of the gravity pawlv189, which carries the tail piece 190 and is arranged for engagement. with the ratchet teeth 191 formed on the upper edge of the disc 183. The rod 185 may be returned to normal position in any suitable manner, and in the present embodiment, this is effected by means of the spring 192 connected at one end to a pin 193 mounted on the disc 183, and at its opposite end to the shaft on which the disc is journaled, or, in an other suitable manner. The trip arm 1 4 is held in the vertical position to which it is adjusted through the instrumentality of a laterally movable rack late 194 which is mounted on a pair ofbel cranks 195 connected to the upwardly extending bar 196, for a purpose which will presently be explained. The rack plate 194 1s retainedV in its normal locking position b y means of the engaging spring 197, and 1s ided onv the pins 198 which are carried y the casing 182. 1n Fig. 12., the slots 1n the rack plate 194 that receive pms 19.8,

are covered by the heads vof said ins. As-

the tri arm is moved upwardly, t e spring resse rack plate serves to retam the same in the 'position of desired adjustment until the parts vare released, after the letter support hasbeen tilted to discharge its letter, whereupon the rack plate 1s moved away from the tri arm in a manner that will be hereinafter ascribed, said trip arm falling by gravity toits normal position and being returned to its normal pomt of lateral movement by the vspring supported plate 199 which engages the bar 175.

rThe bar 196, to which the bell cranks 195 are pivoted, is provided at its upper end vwith a right angular portion adapted to engage one end of the lever 200 which is centrally pivoted to the lugs 201, the opposite en of said lever bein arranged beneath the tail piece 190,'the atter extending beneath oneof thepins 168 on the cam 167,

so that as thePF letter carrier is rotated in a.

manner which will presently be described, said pin 168 engages and depresses the tail piece 190 thereby releasing the disk 188,

and at 'the saine time elevating the bar 196 through the lever 200 so as to move-the rack plate lirawayvfremenragement with. the

letter carrier controlled thereby reaches ,the

corresponding letter pocket or receptable, at which point said trip arm engages suitable letter discharging means or mechanism, which, in the present embodiment, comprises the lever 202, fixed to the ost 203, the latter being suitably journaled or rotation in the stationary frame 204 and held in normal position against the stop 205 by means of the coil spring 206. Each letter pocket or receptacle has its corresponding discharging lever, the latter being arrangedv at successively diierent relative points to correspond with the letter pockets or receptacles, and to discharge the letter whenthe previously adjusted trip arm reaches and engages the respective discharging lever. vIn the present embodiment there are three hundred twenty-fivesuch dischar ing levers,

corresponding to three hundre twenty-five letter pockets or receptacles, although these may be varied to cover a larger or smaller number of receptacles according to the needs of the machine. rlhe post- 203 carries at its upper end the arm 207 which is connected by means of the link 208 to an upstanding arm 209 carried by the member 210 which is pivoted at 211 to ithe standards212 and has adownwardly extending portion 213 varranged for engagement with the upstanding portion 173 of the previously described lever 171 mounted on the distributing table. It will be seen that when the triparm 174 engages the discharging lever 202 the post 203 is rotated, causing the pivoted member 210 to be tilted to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 17, whereby the lever 171 is rocked and the latch 170, which is operatively connected thereto, is moved from engagement beneath the letter carrier. the latter being thereupon tilted by the -action of the springs 169 to the full line position shown in Figures 13, 18 and 19, causing the letter to be discharged into its pocket. Upon further movement of the distributing table, the letter carrier comes into contact with the stationaryrabutment 214, comprising a roller in the present embodiment, which engages the letter carrier and causes a further movement of the letter carrier or support until it assumes its normal position levelwith the `surface of the distributing table, the latch 174 is returned to its normal position incurre pivotally mounted near thel ends of the scribed.

Stamping mechanism for the letter pocket.

Arranged for cooperation with each of the discharging levers is a stamping mechanism of suitable form, arranged to mark the letter immediately previous to its discharge with a characteristic or identifying stamp to indicate the pocket or receptacle in which it is received, and to this end, in the present embodiment, the stan'dards 212 are provided with a laterally extending casing 215 Within which is rotatably supported the fixed shaft 216 surrounded by a loosely mounted sleeve 217 which carries the stamping member 218 at its outer end, the latter being provided with letter stamping surfaces 219 at each end thereof. Formed centrally of the sleeve 217 are the cam surfaces 220 arranged between the leaf springs`221 which serve to hold said cam surfaces and the stamping member normallyin the position shown in full lines in Fi res 13 and 19. The leaf springs 221 are suitably held at their ends by the support 222 carried bythe casing 215. Fixed to one end of the sleeve 217 is the ratchet Wheel 223 and rotatably mounted on the sleeve 217 adjacent to the ratchet Wheel 223 is arranged the collar 22d which carries a spring pressed pawl 225 adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 223. A coil spring' 226 connected to the collar 224 and to the casing 215 respectively, serves to retain said collar 224 in its normal position, as shown in Figures 13 and 17, movement of the collar being ed'ected in any suitable manner by the operation'tt the letter discharging lever, the means in the present instance comprising a dexible connection 227 leading from said coliar to an ear 228 extending from the upper'part oi the pivoted member 210, said dexible connection being guided around a pulley-229 mounted upon one ot the standards 212. in this manner, upon the operation et the discharging lever 202 the collar 224i is rotated causing the pavvl 225 to engage the ratchet wheel 223 and to turn the sleeve 217 against the resisting tendency et the springs 221, the sleeve being rotated a sucient distance to enable the letter to be stamwd by one end ot the stamp-1v ing member and to move the cam surfaces 220 beyond the dead center so that upon the release et the collar 22d, the springs 221 ,acting upon the cam surfaces 220 will rotate the sleeve 217 the remaining distance to complete a halt turn and bring the parts to the normai position shown in Figures 13 and 17. Suitable means may be provided for inking the stamping surfaces at each operation, and to this end, 'in the present embodiment, there are provided iing rolls 230 which are journalled in the arms 231 arms 231 are springs"232"wiiieh'aresecured at their opposite ends to a pin 233 carried by a stationary arm 23d which is mounted upon the shaft 216. By this construction, the inking rolls normal y take the position shown in full lines in )Figures 13 and-19, and when the stampin devices already escribed', the springs 232 cause the inking rollers to be moved across the stampingsurtaces, alternately, at each operation of the stamping member.

The setting up mechanism for adjusting each selective mechanism to any one of the three hmzdred and twenty five set aps required in the embodiment illustrated.

lin order to eiiect operation of the setting levers on the distributing table, to adjust the trip arms, there are provided, in the present embodiment, a pair of actuating members, preferablyy in the form ot cam guides 235 and 236 which cooperate with the sett-ing levers 188 and 181, respectively, to move the latter to the desired positions according to the extent of movement of the cam guides, which is edected'in a manner that will now be described. The guide 235 is pivotally supported in suitable standards on the trame and connected by the link 237 to the crank arm 238 mounted on the rock shaft 239. Fixed on the st'239 near the opposite end 'thereof is the crank arm to vvhich is pivcoted the connecting rod 241, #the latter being' in turn connected to arm 242 fixed upon the rock sit 243 vvhich carM ries a series of tired operating arms 24d arranged successively at diderent elevations, as shown in Figure 12, so as to secure a varied .throw of the rock shaft 243 according to the particular operating arm that is moved. 'llhe guide236 is pivotaiiy connect-` ed by link 245 and crank arm 246 to the rock shaft 247 which carries near its center the crank a 248 pivoted to a connecting rod 2419 which. in turn is pivotally connected to the arm 250, the latter being xed upon a rock shaft which is in alinement with the previously mentioned rock shaft 243 and carries a series et operating arms 251 arnged successively at diderent eievations, as shovvn in Fire 11. in the present embodiment, there are eight ot .he operating arms 2id and thirty-sin et the operating arms 251, the iirst mentioned series permitting eight diderent wsitions for the cam ide 235 and the other series permitting thirty sin diiderent positions ,tor the. cam guide 238, said guides serving to edect the desired vertical and lateral adjustment ot the trip a on the letter distributing tabie. By t combined action oi the two series et operating arms just mentioned, provision is made in the present embodient for three bred plunger is turned by the lill 

